Alarm-initiating device for automobiles



Aug. 18, 1953 w. A. WQJCIK ET AL 2,649,516

ALARM-INITIATING DEVICE FOR AUTOMOBILES Filed May 11, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS: Walter A. Wojcik By Metro Y fsko ATTORNEY.

Aug. 18, 1953- W. A. WOJCIK ET AL ALARM-INITIATING DEVICE FOR AUTOMOBILES Filed May 11, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I/II 7 Q I I JNVENTORS: Walter A. Wojcik y M efro efsko ATTORNEY.

Patented Aug. 18, 1953 OFF C ALARM-INITIATING DEVICE FOR AUTOMOBILES Walter A. Wojcik and Metro Ye tsko,

' Detroit, Mich.

Application May 11, 1950, Serial No. 161,362

Z'Claims. (Cl. 200 -52) Our invention pertains to a device which is adapted to be installed in an automobile and to be included in an electric circuit provided with a sensitive switch which becomes closed on any movement of the automobile while said automobile is out of use with the door thereof having been locked from outside.

The object of our improvement is to provide a device equally sensitive irrespective of any temporary angular position of the frame of the ,automobile with respect to its normal horizontal position. Such angular position of the frame may accur on some incline or because of some uneveness of ground On which the automobile may be located. A further object of our improvement is to couple the device to the lock in a door of the automobile in such a manner that the device, normally inoperative, will become operative only after the door has been closed and secured in such closed position by means of said lock. A further object of our improvement is to provide a more sensitive switch, which'is a part of our device, the switch itself being novel and useful and adapted for use with other devices of the same type.

We shall now describe our improvement with reference to the accompanying drawings in which! Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the outer casing of our device and of 'means whereby said device is coupled to the shaft of a door-lock of said automobile; Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the front part of the automobile; the View disclosing the location of ourdevice within a door of said automobile and the position of the said device with relation to the door lock therein;

Fig. 3 is a front elevational view of thecasing of our device with certain co-operative elements mounted thereon, the casing being shown as viewed from within the interior of the automobile when the door isclosed;

Fig. 4 is th same elevational view of the casing with an element disclosed in a position different than that shown in Fig. 3 w

' Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view on line 5 5 of Fig. 3, the view disclosing a mercury switch within the casing and a mounting therefor;

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view on line 6 5 of Fig. 4, the view disclosing parts of our device within the casing in different operative positions than those shown in Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional view on line 'i-'! of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a horizontal sectional vieW on line 8-8 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 9 is a horizontal sectional view on line 9 9 of Fig. 2, the section being taken through the lock of the automobile in which the device is installed;

Fig. 10 is a sectional view on line Illll] of Fig. 2;

Fig. 11 is a sectional view of an auxiliary switch box to disclose arrangement of contact points therein;

Fig. 12 is a diagram of an electric circuit controlled by our device'and including a sound-horn of an automobile;

Fig. 13 is another diagram of an electric circuit adapted to include electric lights and a soundhorn in sequence.

Similar numerals refer to throughout the several views.

The essential part of our device, comprising a mercury switch, is contained in a casing Ill provided with a cover ll hinged at 12 for ready access to the interior of said casing. Disposed therein below the level of the upper rim 13 of said casing is an' oblong horizontal platform I4 made best of a dielectric sheet material, the platform being suspended at its corners by coiled springs 15, each of them being anchored to the wall of th casing l0. Mountedupon the platform'and extending transversely thereto. is a metal strip I6 bent at each end in a hairpin turn 11 for a frictional hold upon the edge and the undersurface of said platform. This is best shown in Figs. 5 and 6. Rising upwardly from saidstrip is a sharp pointed pin l8, the purpose of which will be described presently.

The switch itself comprises anarcuate tube I9 made of glass or some other dielectric material, the tube being disposed in such a manner that its Ihidportionis lower than its upwardly curving end members. These are provided with closures or plugs made of an electrically non-conducting mat'erialf The plug 20 at one end of the tube is perforated axially for admission of a wire 2! projecting inwardly into' the tube and forming therein a terminal Zia. Another wire 22 passes through the same plug inwardly in a spaced relation to said wire 2i, saidwire' 22 extending along thei'bottorn of the tube to approximately the midlength of said tube. as bestshown in Fig. 5. A plug 2 3 at the opposite end of the tube contains an'axially-dispos'ed terminal 24 projecting into the tube.' Extending outwardly from said terminal is a lead-in wire 25;

A small quantity of liquid mercury 26 is contained within the tube and normally rests upon wire 22 but out of contact with terminals 2m and 24.

An a u ar b acke e braci u 19 i similar parts 3 mounted on a cylindrical member 28 disposed vertically and provided within its bottom with an axially disposed socket 29. The socket is cone-shaped at the top for admission of pin it upon which said cylindrical member said tube [9 is supported. A portion of member 28 just below said tube is of a reduced diameter, this portion being ringed by a collar 29, said collar forming the upper end of a pendulum, generally indicated by numeral 30. The pendulum includes a crank-shaped stem composed of an upper member 3|, having the shape of an inverted letter L, and a lower member 32 completing the crank formation of the stem .and supporting a drum-shaped weight 33. portions of the stem are joined by a resilient L-shaped spring 34 permitting the two members of the stem to be flexed towards each other so that the angle of their junction, which is normally 90 degrees, may be decreased or increased as desired. This is effected by rigid L brace 35 including a horizontal arm 35 which is Welded to the lower portion 32 of the stem and a vertical arm 31 running parallel to the vertical part of member 3|, but in a spaced relation thereto. An adjusting screw 38 passing through said arm 31 of the brace and bearing against said vertical member 3| of the stem, serves as a means whereby said vertical member may be swung inwardly from said vertical arm 31, causing a shift in the position of the weight as the center of gravity of the pendulum is effected by said inward swing. As a result thereof, tube I9, with the liquid mercury therein, will be tilted in a direction opposite to the shift of the weight. To permit adjustment of screw 38, casing I 9 is provided with a small opening 39. Different positions of the weight 33 as a result of the adjustment above described are shown in dotted lines in Fig. 6.

To conclude the description of the pendulum, it must be added that the weight 33 is provided with a flat top and a fiat bottom, said bottom being normally in a parallel relation to bottom 40 of the casing, but in a spaced relation thereto.

Clamped to platform I4 by means of bolts 4% and in an opposed relation to each other are two horizontal arms 42 and 43, the arms being made of a stiff metal wire of good electric conductivity. Mounted on each arm is an upright coil made of thin flexible wire, said coils being marked 44 and 45, respectively. The coils act both as shock absorbers and as current-corrducting members between the wires leading from the terminals of the mercury switch and insulated outlet wires 46 and 41 leading to binding posts and 49 on the outer surface of the casing. Specifically, terminal 22, disposed at the bottom of tube I9, is connected to coil 45. Terminal 24, at the opposite end of the tube, is connected by means of wire 25 to the opposite coil 44. Additionally, terminal Zla is also connected, by means of wire 2!, to the same coil 44. Thus, depending upon the position of the tube, to which reference will be made herebelow, electric current may be transmitted from wire 22 through the body of mercury to the terminal 24 at one end of the tube or to terminal Zia at the other end of the tube, the current passing through both upright coils 44 and 45 to wire arms 42 and 43 and through two insulated wires 46 and 41, respectively.

Mounted on the outer surface of cover I! is an auxiliary switch, generally indicated by numera1 50, the switch being connected in series with the mercury switch and a sounding horn The two I being located within said automobile door.

d or the electric lighting system or both. In its simpler form the switch is connected only to the sounding horn, and, being operatively connected to the lock of the automobile, is controlled by said lock. Mechanical means for this purpose comprise the following structure: A shaft 5|, actuated by a handle 52 and forming an element of a lock in the door 5b of an auto- .mobile 51, is provided with a radially extending arm 53. The latter is pivotally connected at 54 to a vertical bar 55 extending downwardly towards the aforementioned casing Hi, the casing At its' lower end said bar 55 is adjustably connected to a slideable shank 58. Midway its length the shank forms a horizontal shoulder 59 passing into said casing Ill through a slot 58 in the wall thereof and continues downwardly along said wall, as shown at 6 l At the lower end the shank terminates with a flat clamping plate 82. The plate is provided with a large circular opening 63 and is disposed so that stem 32 of pendulum til will pass through the center of said opening while the plate itself is adapted to be lowered, by means of said shank 58, over the top of weight 33 to clamp said weight against the bottom 49 of casing I 8. A cross-plate 64 within the said casing is aiiixed to the wall thereof by screws 55 holding the lower part 6|. of shank 53 in a parallel relation with the wall of the casing.

Connected to the shoulder 59 of said shank, as best shown in Fig. 5, is a lever 66 for the operation of the auxiliary switch 5!]. The connection is such that as the shank is moved upwardly by means of arm 53 on shaft 5i of the automobile look when the car is being locked, the switch will be closed, permitting passage of electric current therethrough. The current is carried by means of an insulated wire 51 leading from binding post 49 on casing H] to a terminal E8 of said auxiliary switch 58, the lead wire 69 being attached to another terminal 10 of said auxiliary switch.

The two alternate positions of lever 66 are shown in Figs. 3 and i, respectively. Specifically, one position of the lever is shown in Fig. 3 where shank 58 is in its lowered position, clamping the pendulum down, while the auxiliary switch is open. Fig. 4 shows the shank and the lever in the upwardly-moved position when the pendulum is adapted to swing freely, while the auxiliary switch 50 is closed, permitting passage of current therethrough.

The auxiliary switch 50 may be designed to control only the sounding horn, as shown in a diagram of the electric circuit in Fig. 13 where the mercury is indicated by numeral 1 I, the auxiliary switch is indicated by numeral 50, the shank controlling said auxiliary switch is marked 58, and the sounding horn is marked 12.

A preferred species of the auxiliary switch is shown in Fig. 11 wherein switch lever '53 to be operated by shank 58 is adapted to connect into the electric circuit, in succession, first a lighter lightsof the automobile and then the sounding horn. The construction of such a switch is not inventive, the form shown in Fig. 11 being only illustrative of this type of switch. It includes a rotary member 14 mounted on an arbor 15 which forms a part of the circuit, the rotary member including two radially-extending members It and H, said members forming segments of a disk, each having an arcuate outer periphery. One of the segments is intended to engage a contact pin 78 which is wired to lights; the other member 76 is to engage a contact pin 19 wired to the sounding horn. The space between the segments along their outer periphery exceeds the space between said contact pins so that during the rotation of member 79 in the direction shown by an arrow in Fig. 11 contact between segment 71 and contact pin 73 will be established first.

A diagram of the circuit, including the lights and the sounding horn with the auxiliary switch adapted to include said lights and the sounding horn in sequence, is shown in Fig. 13. The auxiliary switch, including leads to the lights and to the horn, is marked by numeral 79. The mercury switch is marked H, while the shank operating the auxiliary switch 19 is marked 58.

We shall now describe the operation of our device. It will be assumed that the door of the automobile in which our device is installed has been properly unlocked. In the process of un locking it, shaft 51 of the lock, actuated by handle 52, will depress shank 58 by means of arm 53, causing the plate 52 to clamp down the weight 33 of pendulum 39 against the bottom 40 of casing [0. This will be eifected against the tension of spring coils 15 which, by intermediate means already described, support said pendulum. The downward movement of the shank will throw open, by means of lever 66, the auxiliary switch 59, cutting off connection with the mercury switch, specifically, with the arcuate tube 19, rendering said mercury switch inoperative.

When, on leaving the automobile, the door is to be locked, shaft 51 will, in the course of locking the door, pull up said shank 55 by means of the radial arm 53. This will release weight 33 from its clamped position against the bottom of casing 10. Simultaneously, lever 66 will throw in the auxiliary switch 59, in order to permit passage of electric current through the arcuate tube [9 to said auxiliary switch and therefrom to the lights and the sounding horn.

It will be noted that the arcuate tube is mounted upon the top of the pendulum and that any slight jar to the car will agitate the mercury conductor therein, throwing it with the movement of the pendulum into contact with one or the other of the terminal points projecting into the tube through the plugs in the ends of said tube. ordinarily sufiicient to impart a swinging movement to the pendulum, it will be advisable to turn the shaft slowly, causing lever 69 first to switch on the lights. As a result of the oscillating, back and forth movement of the mercury within the tube, the lights will deliver a series of flashes. When the flashes have ceased the locking may be completed by continuing the turning of the shaft 51 till the sounding horn will also be switched on by said auxiliary switch. With the door fully locked and the auxiliary switch thrown in as a result thereof, no lights will be shown and the horn will remain silent as long as the auto- As even the process of locking the door is mobile is not jarred or moved. Any disturbance, however, of the body of the automobile will immediately impart a swinging motion to the pendulum, cause an oscillating movement of mercury within its tube, and produce intermittent flashes of light and intermittent blasts from the sounding horn till the movement of the pendulum has ceased.

It will be understood that some changes may be made in the structure of our device without departing from the inventive principle disclosed herein.

What we, therefore, wish to claim is as follows:

1. An electric mercury switch including a casing, a horizontal platform therein, coil springs supporting said platform, a pendulum including a crank-shaped stem and a weight at the lower end thereof, the stem being suspended from said platform, an arcuate tube mounted on the stem above the level of its suspension from the platform, the mid-portion of the tube being at a lower level than its end portions, electric terminals projecting through the end portions of the tube into the interior thereof, and a quantity of mercury within the tube normally in contact with one terminal.

2. An electric mercury switch including a casing, a horizontal platform therein, coil springs supporting said platform, a pendulum including a crank-shaped stem and a weight at the lower end thereof, the stem being suspended from said platform, an arcuate tube mounted on the stem above the level of its suspension from the platform, the mid-portion of the tube being at a lower level than its end portions, electric terminals projecting through the end portions of the tube into the interior thereof, a quantity of mercury within the tube normally in contact with one terminal, and a clamping plate to anchor the pendulum against its swinging movement, the clamping plate being adapted to be operated by manual means.

WALTER A. WOJCIK. METRO YETSKO.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,298,055 Kershaw Mar. 25, 1919 1,305,352 Gettell June 3, 1919 1,566,501 OBrien Dec. 22, 1925 1,728,230 Murray July 9, 1929 1,844,338 Rupert Feb. 9, 1932 2,035,895 Kelly Mar. 31, 1936 2,069,970 Richter Feb. 9, 1937 2,176,770 Maught Oct. 17, 1939 2,214,556 Jewell Sept. 10, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 643,079 France Sept. 18, 1927 

